He is a leprous man, he is unclean: the priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean; his plague is in his head.

LEVITICUS 13:44KJV
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Leviticus 13:44 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 13:44 mean?

Leviticus 13:44 explains that if a man is found to have a certain disease on his head, the priest must declare him "utterly unclean," identifying him as a leprous man. This declaration means the man is officially considered ritually impure and must follow the rules for those with such a condition.

In this verse, God is giving instructions to Moses and Aaron about how priests should diagnose and handle cases of skin disease, often called "leprosy" in older translations. The focus is on the priest's role in making a formal judgment, not just on the physical symptoms. The passage is part of a larger section about ritual purity and community health in ancient Israel.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 13:44

  • "Leprous" (צָרוּעַ, tsara‘): This word refers to someone with a visible skin disease, not necessarily what we call leprosy today, but any serious skin condition that made a person ritually impure.
  • "Utterly unclean" (טָמֵא, tame’ and יְטַמֵּא, yetamme’): The repetition and form of this word stress that the person is completely, not just partially, unclean in the eyes of the community and religious law.
  • "Plague" (נֶגַע, nega‘): This term is used for a mark or affliction, highlighting that the problem is not just a minor blemish but a significant condition that requires priestly attention.
  • "Head" (רֹאשׁ, rosh): The mention of the head points out that the disease can affect different body parts, and specific instructions are given for each case.

Why Leviticus 13:44 matters

  • Leviticus 13:44 clarifies that the priest was not acting as a doctor but as a religious authority, making a declaration about ritual status, which affected a person's place in the community.
  • The verse helps clear up the common misunderstanding that "leprosy" in the Bible always means modern Hansen’s disease; the Hebrew word covers a range of skin conditions.
  • This verse connects to the wider passage by showing the seriousness with which ritual purity was treated in ancient Israel, emphasizing the community's concern for both physical and spiritual health.

Where else these words appear

“leprous” Hebrew H6879 · used in 18 verses

  • Exodus 4:6 And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.
  • Numbers 5:2 Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the dead:
  • 2 Kings 7:3 And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

“plague” Hebrew H5061 · used in 62 verses

  • Genesis 12:17 And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife.
  • Leviticus 13:43 Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the rising of the sore be white reddish in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the leprosy appeareth in the skin of the flesh;
  • Leviticus 14:37 And he shall look on the plague, and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house with hollow strakes, greenish or reddish, which in sight are lower than the wall;

“unclean” Hebrew H2931 · used in 78 verses

  • Leviticus 5:2 Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.
  • Leviticus 14:41 And he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about, and they shall pour out the dust that they scrape off without the city into an unclean place:
  • Deuteronomy 14:8 And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase.

“utterly” Hebrew H2930 · used in 142 verses

  • Genesis 34:5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.
  • Leviticus 15:20 And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean.
  • Deuteronomy 21:23 His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day;(for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.